Eastern Maine seeks to break West hold on high school golf team titles on Saturday

VASSALBORO, Maine — Bangor, Mount Desert Island of Bar Harbor, Houlton and Deer Isle-Stonington are among the Eastern Maine high school golf teams who will be shooting to break the West stranglehold on state titles when the state team championships are held Saturday at Natanis Golf Course.

The individual championships for boys and girls will be held Oct. 13, also at Natanis.

Class A and Class B teams will play on the 18-hole Tomahawk layout Saturday, while Class C will play on the 18-hole Arrowhead course.

Registration is from 8 to 9 a.m., followed by a 9:30 meeting with the players and the 10 a.m. shotgun start.

Bangor will be the top challenger from EM Class A after winning the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference title Tuesday with a four-player total of 321 on Natanis’ Arrowhead layout. The Rams, who last won the state title in 2003, will be one of 11 teams trying to unseat defending champion Falmouth of the Southern Maine Activities Association. Waterville was the last EM winner in 2006. Greely of Cumberland Center may be the top West team, though, after placing four members of their team among the top 14 individuals.

The Bangor team will be Thomas Murray, Drew Powell, Rye Powell, Parker Sanderson and Alice Hwang. Each of the five shot 86 or better Tuesday, with Drew Powell carding a 78 and Murray a stroke behind him. Rye Powell posted an 80, Sanderson 84 and Hwang 86. Girls play from the same tees as the boys in team events. Brad Smith of Brunswick was the KVAC medalist with a 74, and Hwang was the low girl.

York is the three-time defending state champion in Class B, but undefeated Mount Desert Island of Bar Harbor from the Penobscot Valley Conference, Camden Hills of Rockport of the KVAC and Yarmouth of the Western Maine Conference will be among the top challengers. MDI golfers didn’t post very low scores in the PVC championships at JaTo Highlands in Lincoln last week, but they did turn in four of the top 18 individual scores from the B and C teams. Ben Walls is the No. 1 golfer on the MDI squad.

Defending champion St. Dominic Academy of Auburn and Houlton have won the last six Class C titles, with Deer Isle-Stonington a contender after Sam Grindle shot an even-par 72 to earn medalist honors in the PVC qualifier by seven strokes with Cole McLaughlin and Cam Clark sparking Houlton. Zach DeBlois shot a 70 in the Mountain Valley Conference championships for St. Dom’s. Robbie Watson (75) and Noah Bernard (78) pace Aroostook Valley champion Fort Fairfield.

Jenna Hallett of Presque Isle was the top girl at PVCs with an 87, and Meaghan Flannigan of Limestone Community School/Maine School of Science and Mathematics shot a stellar 77 in the Aroostook Valley qualifier.